Lost and Found - Bottom Line of Dr. Luke's Gospel
Lost and Found - The Bottom Line of Dr. Luke’s Gospel
As an accountant, I love bottom lines. Just give me the big picture. And if it is a business venture, is it making profit or loss? We all love the bottom line. That is why you are always looking at your bank statements and paychecks. For the past many months, we have together studied the gospel of Luke. Now that we have come to the end of the book, what was it all about? What was it that Dr. Luke at the beginning stated was the intent of the presentation of the book? Borrowing from one of my favorite radio programs (by Pastor Lon Solomon of Mclean Bible Church ), “So what?” What did we learn and did it change me and you?
“The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost”. Get it?
Luke 1: 1-4
1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Here are my conclusions on the gospel of Luke in addition to the ones you may have.
1. First, Dr. Luke has documented actual history and not a tale. He wrote about the “account of things that have been fulfilled among us”. So after studying the book of Luke we can say for sure that the Holy Spirit through Dr. Luke has given us an accurate account.
2. At the end of this study of Gospel of Luke, we like Theophilus, must know the certainty of the things you (we) have been taught”. Faith is “certainty”. We are told that faith comes by hearing the word of God. We have certainty about our faith, so let no one persuade you with “enticing words”. There is no need to study this or any other book of the Bible if it does not increase our certainty of what we have been taught and believe about God and who Jesus is.
3. What is it that was “fulfilled among us”? Jesus Christ, the Messiah, has been fulfilled among us as had been prophesied in the OT. Jesus was of virgin birth, lived full of the Holy Spirit, died on the cross, rose from death and has ascended into heaven. This is the summary of the account.
4. So what is the bottom line of the entire gospel of Luke’s account? It is stated by Jesus himself. Luke 19:9 and 10 is the sum total of the entire book. “9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." This Jesus said in the context of meeting Zacchaeus, the worst of sinners as long as the people were concerned. Zacchaeus was a tax collector who was considered a traitor to the Jewish nation and had ripped people off of their money. The people despised all tax collectors.
5. What is Jesus saying in essence? I came to save sinners from their sins. Sinners are lost. When you are lost, you do not know where you are. I have been lost physically many times driving around Washington DC . I know how it feels like and I bet you have been lost physically before not knowing where you are. But we are all lost spiritually – alienated from the very source of our lives, God.
6. Let us not miss this very important message of Dr. Luke’s gospel. Jesus did not come to improve our lives. He did not come so we can have all our problems solved so we can pay all our bills. You cannot improve what is lost until it is found. Jesus died so we may be found and return to our Father God. In the course of finding us and our rightly relating to God, He takes care of us. This is why Jesus said “seek first his kingdom and righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you”. Many times our lives are characterized by seeking the other things first instead of God first.
7. We must resist and reject any other gospel that is not the gospel of the Christ who “came to seek and to save what was lost”. There are many other gospels out there and many types of Jesus Christ that are being preached and taught. The most popular now is the “prosperity gospel” It is neither the gospel nor does it actually give you prosperity. It says, “If you are really a Christian you must be healthy, wealthy and happy all the time. If you are not, something is wrong with your faith”. The people who preach it first prosper on you by manipulating and taking the little you have. They are only after their own “belly”, the Scripture says.
8. There is nothing better you and I can offer anyone except to help them receive “repentance and forgiveness” from the Christ who came to seek and save the lost. This is our ultimate assignment. I thank God Jesus used someone to find me. Are you available to be used by Jesus for him to find someone else? In the account of Zacchaeus, Jesus was told never to go into Zacchaues’ house because “all” the people believed he was the worst sinner (Luke19:7). The people were the “Church crowd”. We are still categorizing people as to who Jesus will never save because of what we know and seen about them. The truth is that Jesus died for every sinner (that is all of us). Let us not write anyone off including ourselves for salvation. Let us stop the hypocrisy of thinking we are better than anyone else.
9. We must also resist and reject the new age extreme that says we are all good or that the good is within us if we just look inside. The logic is that since we are all good there is no need for a savior. The Scripture is clear that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Our lives exhibit sin on a daily basis. We need a savior to bring us back to God.
10. Never forget the ultimate illustration recorded by Dr. Luke. We refer to it as the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15). It is best called the story of the loving and forgiving Father who forgave his son after he had squandered all his inheritance. That is my story and I hope you will find yourself in this story too. Listen to the Father, “It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found.” Don’t be like the older brother who only criticized and questioned the Father’s lavish of love to the younger son. God is ready to receive and welcome us the moment we recognize our sin and like the younger son “he came to himself”. But make no mistake about it; God is also a just God and will judge sin if one does not believe and accept salvation offered through Jesus Christ.
11. Finally, by our fruits we must be known. We can’t receive God’s love and turn around and be so stringy with grace to others in our daily living. We must forgive as God has forgiven us. This is the mark of a believer in Christ. I struggle to make this my mark but God is helping me forgive and be gracious. How are about you? Let’s offer hope and grace to all we meet.
What is your own bottom line in life? Have you allowed Jesus to find you? Have you first recognized and acknowledged your sin nature? As a sinner, have you sought Jesus for “repentance and forgiveness”? Has “salvation come to your house (heart)” today? Often, when I am physically lost driving somewhere, it is after I have realized that am totally lost do I ask for direction. I could have avoided the run around if I had asked for direction earlier. The unfortunate thing is that you can still be enjoying life (cruising at high speed and making all the stops to exciting visitor’s spots) and having fun while lost. I was lost and now I am found. I was blind but now I see. Is this your story?
As an accountant, I love bottom lines. Just give me the big picture. And if it is a business venture, is it making profit or loss? We all love the bottom line. That is why you are always looking at your bank statements and paychecks. For the past many months, we have together studied the gospel of Luke. Now that we have come to the end of the book, what was it all about? What was it that Dr. Luke at the beginning stated was the intent of the presentation of the book? Borrowing from one of my favorite radio programs (by Pastor Lon Solomon of Mclean Bible Church ), “So what?” What did we learn and did it change me and you?
“The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost”. Get it?
Luke 1: 1-4
1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Here are my conclusions on the gospel of Luke in addition to the ones you may have.
1. First, Dr. Luke has documented actual history and not a tale. He wrote about the “account of things that have been fulfilled among us”. So after studying the book of Luke we can say for sure that the Holy Spirit through Dr. Luke has given us an accurate account.
2. At the end of this study of Gospel of Luke, we like Theophilus, must know the certainty of the things you (we) have been taught”. Faith is “certainty”. We are told that faith comes by hearing the word of God. We have certainty about our faith, so let no one persuade you with “enticing words”. There is no need to study this or any other book of the Bible if it does not increase our certainty of what we have been taught and believe about God and who Jesus is.
3. What is it that was “fulfilled among us”? Jesus Christ, the Messiah, has been fulfilled among us as had been prophesied in the OT. Jesus was of virgin birth, lived full of the Holy Spirit, died on the cross, rose from death and has ascended into heaven. This is the summary of the account.
4. So what is the bottom line of the entire gospel of Luke’s account? It is stated by Jesus himself. Luke 19:9 and 10 is the sum total of the entire book. “9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." This Jesus said in the context of meeting Zacchaeus, the worst of sinners as long as the people were concerned. Zacchaeus was a tax collector who was considered a traitor to the Jewish nation and had ripped people off of their money. The people despised all tax collectors.
5. What is Jesus saying in essence? I came to save sinners from their sins. Sinners are lost. When you are lost, you do not know where you are. I have been lost physically many times driving around Washington DC . I know how it feels like and I bet you have been lost physically before not knowing where you are. But we are all lost spiritually – alienated from the very source of our lives, God.
6. Let us not miss this very important message of Dr. Luke’s gospel. Jesus did not come to improve our lives. He did not come so we can have all our problems solved so we can pay all our bills. You cannot improve what is lost until it is found. Jesus died so we may be found and return to our Father God. In the course of finding us and our rightly relating to God, He takes care of us. This is why Jesus said “seek first his kingdom and righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you”. Many times our lives are characterized by seeking the other things first instead of God first.
7. We must resist and reject any other gospel that is not the gospel of the Christ who “came to seek and to save what was lost”. There are many other gospels out there and many types of Jesus Christ that are being preached and taught. The most popular now is the “prosperity gospel” It is neither the gospel nor does it actually give you prosperity. It says, “If you are really a Christian you must be healthy, wealthy and happy all the time. If you are not, something is wrong with your faith”. The people who preach it first prosper on you by manipulating and taking the little you have. They are only after their own “belly”, the Scripture says.
8. There is nothing better you and I can offer anyone except to help them receive “repentance and forgiveness” from the Christ who came to seek and save the lost. This is our ultimate assignment. I thank God Jesus used someone to find me. Are you available to be used by Jesus for him to find someone else? In the account of Zacchaeus, Jesus was told never to go into Zacchaues’ house because “all” the people believed he was the worst sinner (Luke19:7). The people were the “Church crowd”. We are still categorizing people as to who Jesus will never save because of what we know and seen about them. The truth is that Jesus died for every sinner (that is all of us). Let us not write anyone off including ourselves for salvation. Let us stop the hypocrisy of thinking we are better than anyone else.
9. We must also resist and reject the new age extreme that says we are all good or that the good is within us if we just look inside. The logic is that since we are all good there is no need for a savior. The Scripture is clear that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Our lives exhibit sin on a daily basis. We need a savior to bring us back to God.
10. Never forget the ultimate illustration recorded by Dr. Luke. We refer to it as the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15). It is best called the story of the loving and forgiving Father who forgave his son after he had squandered all his inheritance. That is my story and I hope you will find yourself in this story too. Listen to the Father, “It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found.” Don’t be like the older brother who only criticized and questioned the Father’s lavish of love to the younger son. God is ready to receive and welcome us the moment we recognize our sin and like the younger son “he came to himself”. But make no mistake about it; God is also a just God and will judge sin if one does not believe and accept salvation offered through Jesus Christ.
11. Finally, by our fruits we must be known. We can’t receive God’s love and turn around and be so stringy with grace to others in our daily living. We must forgive as God has forgiven us. This is the mark of a believer in Christ. I struggle to make this my mark but God is helping me forgive and be gracious. How are about you? Let’s offer hope and grace to all we meet.
What is your own bottom line in life? Have you allowed Jesus to find you? Have you first recognized and acknowledged your sin nature? As a sinner, have you sought Jesus for “repentance and forgiveness”? Has “salvation come to your house (heart)” today? Often, when I am physically lost driving somewhere, it is after I have realized that am totally lost do I ask for direction. I could have avoided the run around if I had asked for direction earlier. The unfortunate thing is that you can still be enjoying life (cruising at high speed and making all the stops to exciting visitor’s spots) and having fun while lost. I was lost and now I am found. I was blind but now I see. Is this your story?
Comments